Kyle Kirkwood returns to the Streets of Long Beach this weekend with the defending-champion bullseye on his back, and early signs suggest the Andretti Global driver will be the man to beat when the IndyCar series tackles one of its most storied street circuits on Sunday.
Kirkwood topped Friday's opening practice session at the 1.968-mile temporary circuit, setting the pace in Practice 1 and then backing it up in Practice 2, where he again finished inside the top five. The 26-year-old Floridian has already won twice on street courses in 2026, most recently becoming the inaugural winner at the NTT INDYCAR Series Arlington Grand Prix in Texas, and he sees no reason to hide his ambition on a circuit that has shaped his young career.
"Long Beach has notoriously been one of the biggest races outside of the Indy 500, and it's definitely a bucket list item for everybody to want to win," Kirkwood said.
Kirkwood has a particular history at the 51-turn circuit: victory at last year's Grand Prix earned him his second Long Beach win, and he has twice qualified on pole here.
"Having done it twice there now with two poles is quite incredible," he said. "We know we have good cars and the performance in Long Beach, and I'm looking forward to getting back there this weekend as the defending champion."
Kirkwood is not the only Andretti driver eyeing a Long Beach breakthrough. Will Power, a two-time Long Beach winner, has slotted into the team's third entry for 2026 after leaving Team Penske at the end of last season, and the Australian is enjoying the street-course renaissance the shift has given him.
"One of the many things I enjoy about the Streets of Long Beach is the history and the setting," Power said. "With the success I've had here and what Andretti has done at this track, I'd love to add a third victory."
Team-mate Marcus Ericsson is also targeting a strong result on a weekend where the Andretti organisation has publicly flagged Long Beach as a priority event.
"Long Beach is one of my favorite races of the year," Ericsson said. "It's such a historic event and a place I've had success at in the past."
Team principal Ron Ruzewski said the three-car effort reflects a conscious early-season push to deliver results with the full fleet rather than concentrating on one driver.
"Our goal this year is to show up prepared with competitive cars for all three drivers at every event," Ruzewski said.
The weekend has not been without drama. Romain Grosjean suffered a heavy impact during Friday's second practice session, his Dale Coyne Racing entry hitting the barriers with significant force but the Frenchman walking away unharmed. Grosjean, a two-time Long Beach runner-up, is widely regarded as one of the sharpest street-course talents in the paddock and his crew faced an overnight thrash to rebuild the car before Saturday qualifying.
The broader storyline going into Sunday's race is whether Kirkwood can convert his championship-leading form into a win on a track where the full series has traditionally been at its most competitive. Alex Palou and the Chip Ganassi cars will be close, and Penske has arrived with a clear mandate to bounce back from a slow opening month.
For Kirkwood, the pressure is less about the title than about the statement a Long Beach hat-trick of poles — or, better, wins — would make. On a circuit he has publicly called a bucket list item, he has made no attempt to downplay how much another trophy on Shoreline Drive would mean.
---
*Originally published on [Motorsports Global](https://motorsports.global/article/kirkwood-power-long-beach-indycar-defence-2026). Visit for full coverage.*
